CHAPTER 677: CHAPTER 327: THE ROAD WE TOOK TO GET HERE

When the training camp had lasted for half a month, Jokic also returned to Cleveland from Serbia.

He wanted to continue enjoying life in Songbor, but Hansen wouldn’t allow it.

A hardworking laborer was pulled out of the comfort zone by his boss once again.

Sure enough, although he got the best horse in Songbor, it came with a price.

Hansen knew that while in Songbor, Jokic was actually still training.

But that kind of training intensity could at most help him maintain his condition, keeping him from getting out of shape by the end of the offseason, and wouldn’t help him improve his skills.

This time, having called Jokic back, Hansen specially hired a trainer to help him improve his pick-and-roll quality.

This season, the Cavaliers’ opponents are stronger than last season, so Jokic needs to progress faster.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it’s early September, with each team’s season training camps opening successively.

On the first day of the Cavaliers’ training camp, things appeared a bit lazy, and the players seemed yet to recover from the long offseason.

A common issue for defending champions is that after you win a championship, complacency always creeps up on you like afternoon drowsiness.

Plus, after the training camp began, there was always a feeling of something missing, later revealed to be the absence of Garnett.

For the past two seasons, the training camp was always filled with Garnett’s boisterous trash talk, but it vanished with his retirement this year.

However, Hansen didn’t need to play the villain this time, as Malone had taken on that role.

From his chants of "who is your daddy" during rallies, you knew this guy wasn’t as easygoing as he seemed.

At this time, he and Lue standing together seemed more fitting, one with a stern face, the other with a friendly face.

At the tactical level, it’s clear this year that there has been some tactical supplementation outside of the One Star and Four Shooter System by Malone.

There are tactics involving Jokic holding the ball at the top of the three-point line and pick-and-roll plays with Jokic.

The purpose of these tactical additions is partly because of Jokic’s impressive performance in last season’s playoffs, and partly to make it harder for opponents to target him.

Jokic has performed excellently in training.

Passing is inherently his forte, and as for pick-and-rolls, after training with Hansen over the summer, his quality in this area has clearly improved.

Moreover, Jokic’s personality quickly caught Deron’s attention, who also actively shared his pick-and-roll experience with Jokic.

Some people are just naturally likable; it’s something you can’t change.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it’s early October.

The teams successively concluded their training camps, and the annual Media Day followed.

The Warriors, Cavaliers, and Celtics were the teams most spotlighted during this Media Day.

The focal point of the Celtics’ Media Day was Durant.

Durant spent most of this offseason immersing himself in training, even giving up his favorite online surfing.

This season, he noticeably looks bulkier.

"Why did you choose Boston?"

The first question from a reporter was also the question most outside were concerned about.

The Rockets couldn’t offload Bosh, but whether it was the Warriors or Spurs, they seemed better choices than the Celtics.

"I like the championship culture here. Danny showed me the championship banners hanging in the arena; no one knows better than them how to win a championship."

"Why didn’t you go to the West? I mean, in the East, you’ll have to face Han." The reporter pursued.

"Wouldn’t I need to face Han in the West as well?" Durant’s answer was profoundly realistic.

"If you can’t beat Han head-on, then everything else is meaningless."

...

The focus of the Warriors’ Media Day was James, and several key Warriors players expressed their welcome to James joining them.

Among them was Green:

"LeBron is my brother, his goal is the championship, and our goal is to reclaim the championship. That’s why we’re together, and we need a thorough revenge."

James reiterated something he said in the summer:

"We’ll get the first championship, then the second, then the third, but the most important is the first one, and we’ll do it."

An easily overlooked fact is that last season the Lakers defeated the Warriors, freeing James from the burden of "joining the enemy", transforming it into "I beat you before joining you," giving him a psychological advantage when facing the Warriors.

...

For the Cavaliers, Hansen naturally drew the spotlight.

Having led the Cavaliers to win the championship last season, many media outlets now considered him on par with Jordan.

As he sat down, camera flashes went wild, and the reporters’ questions came one after another.

"LeBron said in the summer he wanted to build a dynasty, which also aligns with your previous statements. How do you view the conflict between the two?" A reporter from ESPN asked.

"There’s no conflict."

Hansen’s initial response stunned all the reporters.

"He will indeed build a dynasty, but not for the Warriors, for the Cavaliers."

Hansen’s words instantly enlivened the atmosphere on the scene.

Previously, reporters might have needed to ponder, but now, given Hansen’s summer victory parade where he commented on "James bringing a championship to the Cavaliers", it was instantly clear.

"This season, both the Bay Area and Boston have built formidable rosters. Which do you think will be your biggest enemy this season?"